Hey, guys! I’m honored to be here and thank Jessica for inviting me.  I’ve posted once before (about the National Guard), but that was as a guest. Jessica’s now given me an actual login (Bwahahahahahahaaa!), so here I am!

My connection to the military is that I served for 7 1/2 years in the Army National Guard. My connection to romance is that I’m a college professor at Fayetteville State University (right outside Ft. Bragg), and I study romance novels for a living. I’m the President of the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) and I’ve recently published an analytical article on Suzanne Brockmann’s Navy SEAL/security contractor romance hero, Sam Starrett. I also review for Dear Author and post at Teach Me Tonight.

In my once a month posts, though, I’ll probably be posting about something a little more controversial than the National Guard or Suzanne Brockmann’s Navy SEAL heroes. Because not only was I an officer in the National Guard (and very proud of my service), but I am myself bisexual, something I can say now only because I’m out of the military. If I’d said it before my separation and someone in my command had noticed it, they would have separated me under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

I recently said on a podcast, “There’s gays in the military already. […] I once had somebody—a soldier—tell me, ‘Well, everybody knows that the military is antipathetic towards gay people so, if you’re gay, why would you want to join an organization that doesn’t want you?’ And I just looked at him and I said, ‘Gay people have the same patriotic feelings and the same nationalistic feelings, and the same desire to serve as anybody else.’ […] They’re not just gay, they’re Americans, and they feel just as strongly about that as you, with your straight privilege over there, and they want to act on that.”

I very much feel this topic is pertinent to the romance world because…well, because it’s about love. GLBT people cannot help who they are or who they love and, in most cases, wouldn’t want to. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want to serve, nor should it stop them from serving. If 5-10% of the general population is gay, then about 5% of the military is probably gay as well and should be allowed to serve, just as their straight brothers- and sisters-in-arms do. Because it doesn’t matter who they go home to at night. All that matters is that they get their job done.

While trying to decide on a topic for the blog, I scrolled through some of the previous posts to get a feel for what’s already been said so I wouldn’t repeat or rehash old news. What I discovered when reading posts written by former and current military personnel, is that while I’m very much a supporter of the amazing men and women of the US Military, and while I’ve read extensively about what they do, how they do it and why they do it, there is nothing in my background or experience that could ever truly make me understand the military way of life.

It’s a unique and highly honored club and it’s right that those of us on the outside looking in couldn’t possibly ‘get it’. Couldn’t possibly know what you’ve been through – both good and bad. Couldn’t know what you’ve learned, what you’ve cherished, what you’ve feared and what you’ve loved about your commitment to country above self.

I’m awed and I’m humbled by what you all give up. You leave your homes and everything you hold dear for long deployments into hostile and foreign environments. You leave knowing that when you come home, nothing will truly ever be the same again. You’ve lost months, sometimes years with your children, your spouses, you’re extended family and friends. You risk much. And you do it willingly.

And for just this short post, I want to say thank you. Not a generic, ‘I’m so grateful for the sacrifices you make for us,’ but a heartfelt, deeply sincere thank you for doing something I don’t think I could ever do, for giving up things I’m glad I’ve never had to give up, for being strong and stalwart and providing inspiration to a nation of Americans, who need something good to aspire to.

Thank you so much for inviting me to blog today about Summer of Two Wishes. This book, (released last summer), is about a soldier who was believed to have died in Afghanistan, but who turns up alive and comes home to find that life has moved on without him: His wife has remarried, his horse ranch is gone, and there really isn’t a place for him. The real story is about his wife and the choice she has to make. She loved him, she grieved for him, but she thought he was dead and fell in love again. Whose wife was she? The wife of her first true love, whom she thought she lost to the war? Or to the man who pulled her out of the ashes of despair and taught her how to love again?

I backed into this idea by accident; I didn’t start out to write a book about a military hero. Other than having a nephew who has served two tours in Iraq, what do I know about coming home from war? What I set out to do was write a book that was simple in its construct, but packed an emotional wallop. The idea came to me one day when I was reading the Austin American Statesman.

I don’t know about where you live, but about once a year in Austin, the paper has a special edition in which they print the faces, names, and death information of all the soldiers from Central Texas who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us. It is gut-wrenching to look at those pictures. I cannot imagine how the family of those faces must feel. They must all wish for one more day, one more moment, or just to hear a voice. They must all wish for their loved one to walk through a door. It is a sobering reminder of the sacrifice so many noble people make in the name of our country and freedom.

I wondered what would happen if one of those faces literally returned from the dead. What would her or she find? Anyone who has lost a loved one knows that life continues to march forward and nothing can stop it. The wheels keep turning and the past keeps evolving into the present and on into the future. The construct was simple: who was she going to choose? Someone was going to be hurt no matter what she did.

I think that having to come back to a life that has moved on without him would have been enough for this hero. Layer onto that the burden of very difficult, soul-searching choice and I had my basic conflict that thrummed with emotion. It was a hard book to write. I thought a lot about loss. I didn’t know which man the heroine would end up with until I was three-quarters through the book. And I have not written yet about the husband she didn’t choose because that is another really emotional book, and I needed to let it simmer. I learned a lot about the military (thanks, Jess!) and a lot about my personal goals and strengths as a writer. I hope you enjoy Summer of Two Wishes. I am always interested to know which way the reader goes: Team Finn? Or Team Wyatt?

Thanks so much for having me here today. Happy Reading!

Non Fiction Spotlight: Martha Raddatz The Long Road Home

One of the reasons I started Romance Roll Call was to also provide a place for writers and readers to find resources. I’ve been asked multiple times where are good places to start and I’ve got my own backlist of great books out there. But for authors who have no personal military experience but who want to write about soldiers, research is required and the sheer amount of books out there in your local book store can be daunting, to say the least.

So today marks the first Non Fiction Spotlight. It will run every third Monday and will feature non fiction books, either on the military itself or on writing. The spotlight will tell a little about the book and let you decide where to start.

One of the most powerful books I’ve read about the Iraq War to date is Martha Raddatz’s The Long Road Home. Not simply because it’s about 1st Cavalry Division troopers and the 1st Cav is where I earned my combat spurs, but because I’m friends with some of the men in that story. My brigade commander was the battalion commander there and I had no idea what he’d gone through when I was tasked to be his aide one week in 2008. But after a bad training run in a MOUT (military operations in urban terrain) site, he asked me if I knew what happened in Sadr City. He told me I needed to talk to CPT Aguero and listen to him.

I found this book within a day of coming back from the field and read it. I didn’t know any of the men at the time of reading it. Aguero is somewhat of a legend but when you get to know him, at the heart of him is a warrior. A man who simply wants to be at war, doing what the army trained him to do.

See CPT Aguero was the platoon leader who was pinned down inside an alley with his platoon in Sadr City. They’d been out on a mission when the Mahdi Militia decided they were ready to fight. They picked the fight on the day of TOA (transfer of authority) before the battalion commander officially owned the battlespace.

There is some focus in this book about Casey Sheehan and his mother, anti war activist Cindy Sheehan’s reaction to his death but this book is not completely about her or her son. Ms Raddatz takes you onto the FOB. You can feel the devastation of the men as they fight to bring their trapped platoon home. And you can feel the horror of the soldiers who have to make some of the hardest decisions in war in order to survive.

If you want to feel the urgency of needing to get into the fight to save your men, if you want to feel the pain of the wives back home, waiting for notification, read this book. Ms Raddatz’s storytelling is profound and this book marks a significant contribution to our war’s history.

You can order The Long Road Home through AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, BORDERS or wherever you find books.

Monica Schroeder guest blogs today and calls for books for a friend of hers in Iraq:

Dear Readers,

I have served our country in the United States Army for 5 years, I have not yet, had the pleasure of serving in the Middle East. My friends and family have served many times over, and over. My best friend, whom I have been friends with since Basic, is currently serving her country in Iraq. She doesn’t write to me about the RPGs or how dang cold it gets at night…she writes to me about how she misses our book discussions and how she has NOTHING to read over there besides mystery thriller stuff, and there is only some much of that a girl can take.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is where I have been helping and applying my time. I have been raising a collection of signed awesomeness for my BFF as a surprise when she comes home, AND, I have been collecting books that more befit her reading taste to send over to her and some of her female colleagues who are in the same reading predicament. They enjoy romance, paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult fiction, and anything really that lets them escape being stuck in the sand box for 5 whole minutes. That gift alone is priceless.

So, if you, as a fellow romance reader, would like to help you can email me at: mojo09226(AT)yahoo.com and we can discuss a means of getting books from you, donations for me to purchase books for them, or even if you just want to write them a note about you favorite romance book, I am sure they would love that. Its all about doing what you are able.

Thank you so much for your time! Also in honor of my work with deployed soldiers I was given some cash to giveaway an ereader or GC on my blog, check in out and enter to win if you would like, people who have helped with my collection get 20 additional entries.

Monica S.
Help Me Treat a Soldier to the Moment of her Life!!!

A SOLDIER’S CHRISTMAS

‘Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
in a one bedroom house made of plaster and stone.

I had come down the chimney with presents to give,
and to see just who in this little house lived.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
No tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.

No Stockings by mantle, just boots filled with sand,
On the wall hung pictures of far distant lands.

With medals and badges, awards of all kinds,
A sobering thought came through my mind.

For this house was different, it was dark and dreary,
The home of a soldier, I could now see clearly.

The soldier lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in this one bedroom home.

The face was so gentle, the room in such disorder,
Not how I picture a United States Soldier.

Was this the hero of whom I’d just read?
Curled up on a poncho, the floor for a bed?

I realized the families that I saw this night,
owed their lives to these soldiers who were willing to fight.

Soon round the world, the children would play,
and grownups would celebrate a bright Christmas day.

They all enjoyed freedom each month of the year,
because of the soldiers, like the one lying here.

I couldn’t help wondering how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve in a land far from home.

The very thought brought a tear to my eye,
I dropped to one knee and started to cry.

The soldier awakened and I heard a rough voice,
“Santa don’t cry, for this life is my choice”.

I fight for freedom, I don’t ask for more,
My life is my God, my country, my corps.”

The soldier rolled over and drifted to sleep,
I couldn’t control it, I continued to weep.

I kept watch for hours, so silent and still,
as we both shivered from the cold night’s chill.

I didn’t want to leave, on that cold, dark night,
this guardian of honor, so willing to fight.

Then the soldier rolled over, with a voice soft and pure,
whispered, “Carry on Santa…., It’s Christmas Day…., All is secure.

One look at my watch, and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend…. and to all a Good Night.

~ Author Unknown *~

Ask any military family, and they’ll tell you about missed holidays. The first time I decided not to travel home for Christmas after joining the army, my family didn’t know what to do. I’d opted to stay in Germany that year and travel around Europe with my then boyfriend (now my husband) and my future sister in law.

Since that first Christmas, there have been others where I stayed in Texas or Korea or went skiing, but since I’ve had kids, the last five Christmas Days have been memorable, either because of being with the kids or being without them. In 2004, I was a new mom, alone with a colicy baby and a husband who’d gone back to Iraq a few short weeks prior. At 4 am, the baby was awake, so I fed her, then opened presents for her with the dogs to keep us both company.
2005, mommy and daddy were both home and we stayed in Texas, hanging around the house and relaxing.

2006, I was alone again, this time, with a 2 month old and my then 2 year old. Daddy was back in Iraq, so what did Mommy do? We traveled to Maine to spend Christmas with my family. That was the first time my daughter was old enough to remember playing with my neice and they were only 3 days apart in age. They’ve been close since, especially this year, when they went to kindergarten together.

In 2007, we were all back together in Texas once more, but I had to head back to officer training in Georgia shortly after wards.

2008 was probably my worst Christmas. I’ve always been there. Me and the kiddos. Last year, though, was my first one away from my kids and it hit me, hard. There was a sad little tree outside our CHU (containerized housing unit) and someone had hung a few sad little decorations on it. It was as though in the middle of that crappy base, someone was determined to remember what day it was and why it was important.

But to me, diving into work and forgetting about everything at home was the way I coped. I misted up every time someone said Merry Christmas. I didn’t want to see the decorations. I didn’t want to pretend like the holiday mattered to me because without my kids, it didn’t. I know that’s not what Christmas truly is about, but for me, the real pain of missing my children was nothing compared to any notions of the reason for the season.

It hurt. A lot.

So this year, as my husband and I sneak out after the kids go to bed in order to play Santa and Mrs. Claus, I remember what last year was like and what this year is like for hundreds of thousands of families who’s loved ones are deployed during Christmas. And when I find myself getting frustrated with the crowds and the traffic, I remember what last year was like, when there were no crowds and there was no Christmas shopping.

And this year, when I’m hugging my kids and seeing their faces light up and get to hear my daughter singing in the Christmas Eve Mass, I’m going to take a deep breath and remember how lucky and how blessed I truly am. Because this year, more than most, means a lot to me.

I am home and I am grateful.

When I was in the Army we used to say (and I’m sure they still do lol), the best post was the one you just came from, or the one you were on your way to. It was never where you were. Perhaps that was just a self-defense mechanism in a culture that does a lot of moving around. Maybe it was a sign of a more deeply rooted apathy. I wouldn’t care to guess.

I came down here to southern Alabama when I finished training. To say I experienced culture shock would be a huge understatement. I couldn’t wait to move on. It never happened. By the time I got out, I was married and my husband had reenlisted to stay put.

I realized I better learn to love where I was because I wasn’t going anywhere soon. And gradually, I did. I have good friends here, it never snows, and my kids have never switched schools (except for moving up to middle school).  There’s a lot to love there.

Last year I decided it was time to apply this lesson to my writing. It used to go something like this. I’d start a book totally in love with it, but by the middle, I hated it. The last book was better. The next book will be incredible. This book? This book sucks. And that made me as miserable as the first two years I spent here wanting to be somewhere, anywhere, else.

Now when that little negative voice starts up, I step back and take a deep breath.  I find something I still love about it. A character, a scene. It doesn’t matter what as long as it’s enough to make finishing the middle less of a chore. And by the end, I love it again.

Just as I (mostly) love the place the Army transplanted me to.  Who knew those lessons would come in so handy in the rest of my life?

I recently retired from the Army National Guard. This is going to be a boring post that has nothing to do with romance but everything to do with the National Guard and what it is and how we’re different from all the rest of the Armed Forces. I like to educate—I can’t help it.

The National Guard has been around since 1609–way before the actual country we defend. We are the Massachusetts Minutemen, the “well-regulated militia” that has the right to bear arms in the Constitution. When we swear the oath of enlistment or commission, we agree to obey the orders not only of the President (the office, not the person), but also of the Governor of the state to which we enlist/commission. Because the National Guard are the State Militias, it is only the National Guard that has the legal right to perform military operations inside the borders of the United States, and only at the behest of the Governor. So I wasn’t in the National Guard; I was in the North Carolina National Guard (and the Michigan Guard before that).

So any natural or man-made emergencies that need increased security or…well, well-regulated manpower, the Governors mobilize their National Guards: obviously, security after 9/11, but also ice storms, snow storms, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, SuperBowl security, Olympic security, crowd control. All (most of?) the security during the Civil Rights movement: National Guard.

But then, we can also, of course, be mobilized by the President as part of the Federal forces. At that point, we’re actually Federalized and no longer under control of the State apparatus at all. Most of the National Guard who responded to Hurricane Katrina was actually Federalized for the duration, because we were operating outside our own jurisdiction. So when I went from Greensboro, NC, to Hammond, LA, the Federal government paid my way (and I got a nice free trip on a C-130!).

But we train with the other Armed Forces. I went to Army Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC. But I did Officer Candidate School through the National Guard (that’s also in the Constitution—Article I, Section 8: “To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress.” But after OCS was over, I went to Officer Basic Course with Regular Army Second Lieutenants (the actual job I did was a Chemical Officer. OCS taught me how to lead, Chemical OBC taught me what to tell my soldiers to do).

And we’re different from the Reserves, because the Reserves are the Federal-only forces who train one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer like the National Guard, but report only to the President, not to the Governor. Which makes moving when in the Reserves not nearly as difficult as inter-state transfers in the National Guard.

And of course, there’s the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard, the Air Force wing of the Guard. I was in the Army National Guard. No rivalry there…no!

So, a down-and-dirty introduction to the National Guard. Hope you enjoyed it.

I haven’t looked very hard, but I know of only one author who has written about a National Guard soldier: Virginia Kantra’s Sea Witch has a National Guard hero. Can anyone out there tell me of any more?

Hi everyone

I’m thrilled to be blogging here with Jessica today and so glad to welcome her home from Iraq. I’m also a woman on a mission.

First, I want to wish you all Merry Christmas and happy holidays and to thank you all for being such loyal readers and spreading the word about my books! So Merry Christmas!! And thanks! You all are the best and I hope this coming year brings all things wonderful and good your way!

My second reason is just as heartfelt and very important. I want to remind you all that we sleep in peace on the home front at night due to the brave and valiant efforts of our military who defend our freedom against terrorism every day.

That said, I want to call your attention to the plight of the 3 Navy SEALS who will soon be on trial for doing their job and defending our country during the capture of a known terrorist Ahmed Hashim Abed.

Abed is the accused brains behind the grisly ambush of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004. The contractors were protecting a convoy when they were attacked by Iraqi insurgents. Their bodies were burned inside their vehicle, dragged through the streets by a chanting mob, then hanged from a Euphrates River bridge. The cruel episode was photographed and posted online as a warning to the Big Bad West.

Abed has cried foul, accusing the SEALS of abuse during his capture. The trumped-up charges against them range from dereliction of duty, making a false official statement, hitting a detainee, and lying to investigators.

Subsequently, on December 7th, two of the SEALs were arraigned in military court: Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, 24 and Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas, 28. The arraignment for Petty Officer 2nd class Jonathan Keefe, 25, has not yet been scheduled. All three SEALS were offered a simple reprimand if they admitted wrongdoing, but they rejected it, placing their faith and careers on exoneration at trial. If convicted, however, they face loss of rank, up to a year’s confinement and partial forfeiture of pay, and a bad conduct discharge.

The SEALS have received an outpouring of public support on the Internet, and a California congressman has led a campaign urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene. Dozens of protesters, including the mother of one of the slain contractors, stood outside the Norfolk Naval Station gate Monday morning, Dec 7, during their arraignment, holding signs of support.

One SEAL said he was gratified by support from the public and some of the members of congress who have been leading a campaign urging Defense Secretary Robert Gates to intervene.

“He’s been a hero — two tours of Iraq and one tour of Afghanistan — and now this is the thanks he gets,” Huertas’ civilian attorney, Monica Lombardi, told reporters after the arraignment.

I happen to agree. They are all heroes. I have written my Congressman and Senators about this deplorable situation. I’m urging you to do the same. I love my country. I’m proud to be an American but I take passionate issue with the way our government is handling of this situation.

Let’s all show these brave men that we support them. You can find your legislator’s addresses by simply googling their names then going to their web page and contacting them there.

Here’s my letter for reference. Feel free to use it as a guide and let your legislators know that you feel the same way!

Dear Senator Grassley:
My purpose for writing is to offer my support for the 3 Navy SEALS, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew McCabe, Petty Officer 1st class Julio Huertas, and Petty Officer 2nd class Jonathan Keefe, who will soon be on trial for actions related to the capture of alleged terrorist, Ahmed Hashim Abed, the accused brains behind the grisly ambush of four U.S. contractors in Fallujah in 2004.
How sad it is that these heroes are being held accountable for actions they took in defense of our country and our freedom. If you have any influence at all over this travesty of a military trial, I urge you to intervene and request that all charges be dropped immediately.

Thank you for taking the time to listen to my request and for all the work you do representing our interests.
Sincerely
Cindy Gerard

There you have it. I sincerely hope you will be able to find the time to speak out on behalf of these heroes!
Thanks!!! Have a wonderful year!

Best,
Cindy